Waltham Forest Trades Council press release

Butterfields won't budge: Asset-stripping landlords must be stopped

'They shall not pass!' Butterfields campaigners (Click to enlarge)

Families on the small Butterfields estate in Walthamstow received notices to quit back in January. From the start they have fought tooth and nail to stay in their homes. They have thwarted the landlords' efforts many times. They have nowhere else to go. Now it's August and they are still there!

However, the secretary of the Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) Nicole Holgate has just been singled out to be dragged through the courts and evicted. She said, "This is not because my rent is unpaid, and it's not because my flat has been trashed. I took on the TRA secretary's job to fight for my home along with my low-paid hard-working neighbours. Now my home, my friends and community and my future is at stake." At an angry emergency street meeting the TRA Chair called this "revenge". A young dad-of-two added, "These greedy landlords see us as a viper. They want to cut off our head so we will all cave in. We are standing by Nicole. She stands for all of us."

There is no way either the tenants or the local labour movement will let this eviction go through without a serious fight. Nicole is meeting with top barristers; all supporters will make ready for the court. Eviction will be resisted.

A handful of older tenants on the estate enjoy security of tenure. All the tenants want is the same for everybody.